Origin of Power

Chapter 1

I hurried through the dark streets of London, hands in pockets, mulling over the night ahead. Almost a week into my search for the Nighthawks, had led me nowhere but a few sleepless nights and a very angry mum.

On Rick's orders, I was escorting Chrissy home. Once I had dropped her off, I would head for the Glass Den. The club opened a couple of weeks ago, and was dead centre in the Nighthawks territory. Even though it was run by Dusk—one of the higher-ups in the Drug Den group—it was popular. That baffled me. People showed so much hatred and fear towards Titans but had no problem spending a night out in a club run by one.

Dusk was a Tyrant. The worst type of Titan, but unfortunately the most common. Tyrants used their power to force what they wanted onto others. He was a killer, and there was no one to stop him. For that reason, I was certain the Nighthawks wouldn't let him go. He had intruded on their territory, and letting him off would show weakness. I was certain they would make a spectacle of him, they had to. And when they did, I would be there to see it.

It was a crisp, winter night. I dressed warmly; black jeans, and a jacket with a hood that covered most of my face. I didn't usually wear scarfs, but today I had made an exception. It helped to cover up my appearance and didn't look suspicious.

"I wish they would fix these damn lights," Chrissy said.

"What?"

"The lights... I wish they would fix them."

"I don't see it happening."

Ten years had passed since the Hellraiser attack, the city had never recovered. The government were a mere speck of their old power, more a military group than politicians. Sticking to industrial territories where the Heroes Association enforced control, while the rest of the city was left to Tyrants to lord over. It seemed unlikely that fixing some lampposts was high on any of their to-do-lists, so for now, we used our phone torches.

"What's the hurry?" Chrissy asked.

I slowed my step and turned around, noticing that she was a few metres behind me. Of course, she maintained as slow a pace as she could until she was caught up.

She glared at me as the torchlight shone in her eyes. Even in the dull light, I could see the green in them. She was fit and lean, and tall for a girl, reaching my chin. We had both been members of Rick's kickboxing club for years. She had a small, round face, with a dainty nose that didn't match the tough girl attitude she tried to pull off. Wearing a puffy coat that made her look like a football with arms didn't help that either.

"Sorry, no hurry. It's just cold tonight."

She snorted. "Don't let me keep you if you have somewhere better to be. We can split here, I'm almost home anyway, and I can take care of myself."

For a moment, I considered it. I was in a hurry. The Nighthawks wouldn't wait for me, and the later I arrived at the Glass Den, the harder it would be for me to sneak onto the rooftop I had made my watch post the past few nights. But no, I had promised Rick I would take her home and after what happened to Jason I couldn't let him down. He treated us like family and what happened to Jason had really got to him. Now wasn't the time to be selfish.

"No, really, it's fine," I said. "I was just thinking about Jason and got lost in my thoughts."

I saw the form of Chrissy's head bob in the dark, and caught the brief scent of a sweet perfume as she passed me. This time I made sure to trail her, doing my best to appear as unhurried as possible. Chrissy was the type to pick up on small details, and I did not want her suspicious of my... nightly activities.